An excellent medical journals should be the perfect combination of the high-quality content and beautiful form(for example,cover).In this paper,the general requirements of the cover design of medical journals are elaborated,including form conforming to content,standardization integrated with personalization,stability combined with change,the whole and part being unified.According to the real examples,the visual language of the cover design is analyzed,such as text,graphics,color and so on.


Catabolite control protein C (CcpC) belongs to the LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) family that regulates the transcription of genes encoding the tricarboxylic acid branch enzymes of the TCA cycle by responding to a pathway-specific metabolite, citrate. The biological function of CcpC has been characterized several times, but the structural basis for the molecular function of CcpC remains elusive. Here, we report characterization of a full-length CcpC from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BaCcpC-FL) and a crystal structure of the C-terminal inducer-binding domain (IBD) complexed with citrate. BaCcpC required both dyad symmetric regions I and II to recognize the citB promoter, and the presence of citrate reduced citB promoter binding. The crystal structure of CcpC-IBD shows two subdomains, IBD-I and IBD-II, and a citrate molecule buried between them. Ile100, two arginines (Arg147 and Arg260), and three serines (Ser129, Ser189, and Ser191) have strong hydrogen-bond interactions with citrate molecules. A structural comparison of BaCcpC-IBD with its homologues shows that they share the same tail-to-tail dimer alignment, but the dimeric interface and the rotation between these molecules exhibit significant differences. In addition, citrate can convert large BaCcpC-FL oligomers to monomers in solution. Taken together, our results provide a framework for understanding the mechanism underlying the functional divergence of the CcpC protein.


By means of density functional theory calculations, the encapsulation capabilities of a series of azobenzen‐containing photoresponsive nanoring hosts (labeled as host 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 according to the number of the azo unit, respectively) for fullerene C60 were surveyed. Interestingly and abnormally, it is found that the host 5, of which the diameter is only 1.218 nm, can form stable full inclusion complex with C60. However, irrespective of their cavity sizes (11.98 ~ 12.94 Å) of the hosts, the structures 1 ~ 4 and 6 were all disable to form inclusion complex with C60. In this paper, the group‐number‐composition‐selective full inclusion host‐guest interaction of the azobenzene‐containing nanorings with fullerene C60 is firstly presented. The calculated interaction energies, together with the detection and visualization of the weak interaction regions, provided evidences for the host‐guest binding based on relative strong repulsion interaction in the full inclusion complex. Analysis on the frontier orbital feature of the host‐guest systems suggests that under the electron excited condition, the chemical activity may be transferred from host 5 to guest C60 by formation of the floating host‐guest complex, and the chemical reactivity of the host 5 can be passivated via formation of the full inclusion host‐guest complex. Additionally, UV–vis–NIR and 1H NMR spectra of the hosts before and after the formations of the complexes have been simulated and discussed qualitatively, which may be helpful for further experimental investigations in future.


Chimneys in power plant meet with corrosion problem in different degree.It not only treatens the life of chimney but also has influence on the smooth function of power plant.Corrosion evaluation of chimney based on the performance of inner materials of chimney,the causticity of flue gas and positive pressure exists in chimney or not will be carried out in this paper.And it can supply some reference for the development of anticorrosive work.


The transient heat transfer and flow characteristics of oblique impinging jets, according to the impinging angle and distance from nozzle to the plate were studied. To investigate the temperature change of the hot plate, thermographic phosphor thermometry was used. For the transient heat transfer analysis, 1D semiinfinite solid model was used to obtain a coefficient of local heat transfer and Nusselt number. The peak heat transfer was occurring at the stagnation point, and secondary peak was also occurred at the low distance from nozzle to plate and high impinging angle condition. These secondary peaks are shown to be due to an abrupt increase in turbulence in the wall jet boundary layer. In order to verify this phenomenon, we conducted a flow visualization of oblique impinging jets on the hot plate


troduction of sufficiently small quantities of compounds such that only simple uncomplicated spectra were observed by the ion mobility spectrometer. Microprocessor-controlled operation of the ion gates in the drift tube permitted both selective and nonselective detection of chromatographic effluent [2] and the Fourier transform method of operation enabled spectra from rapidly eluting capillary chromatographic peaks to be captured "on the fly" [3]. It was also found that the linear range of the detector could be extended by the use of a photoionization source [4]. As a GC detector the IMD has been compared to the FID and the ECD for contamination effects [5] and has been applied to the detection of 2,4-D in soils [6] and for the determination of barbiturates [7].


Disruptive events are usually preceded by some signs or states that can usually detect by a running application and recorded in the application log; these signs are typically recorded as warning level log entry. Warning logs do not by themselves lead to disruptive incidents, but it is indicative of something that can go wrong. Combined with the other log entries it can be conclusive of an impending incident or disruptions. This study determines the language that will best describe these scenarios together with their resolution accurately; The language can be understood by humans and interpreted by a computer program can raise the alarm and sent notifications; allow either manual or automated resolution to be applied. The goal is to pre-empt the actual occurrence of a costly incident and the speedy application of corrective measures. Results showed that the language is able to successfully describe all the possible log scenarios of interest occurring in sequence, parallel or combined.


Habits got a most propitious launching. Peter Steinfels reviewed the book on the front page of the New York Times Book Review. The same week Ken Woodward gave the book a big play in Newsweek. We were told that that is the perfect one/two combination to send off a book that will sell well. Perhaps even more important, the Los Angeles Times reported a talk based on Habits that I gave at Claremont College just weeks before publication. The account was accurate enough but the headline (not written by the reporter) said, "New Book Attacks Christian Right." This inaccurate headline assured that the article would be very widely reprinted, not only in the U.S. but in the European Herald-Tribune, the Singapore Times, etc. You can't buy that kind of publicity. As the book reviews began to come in, they were not by any means all posi tive. An ideological pattern developed: both the right and the left hated the book. The neo-conservative right-Richard Neuhaus, Robert Nisbet, et al.-had nothing but contempt for us. Michael Novak's review was entitled "Habits of the Left-Wing Heart." We were really surprised by this reaction. Neo-conservatives, especially religious ones, were always talking about family, neighborhood and intermediate associations. These figured prominently in our book. What we learned was that none of that mattered if you attacked the free market. In the end, that was where neo-conservatives had all their chips. Only later did we learn that in some right-wing circles the book was seen as pro-homosexual because of a couple of side-comments that most readers never noticed. The Nation had a review symposium with six reviewers, five of whom hated the book. Barbara Ehrenreich, in the funniest of all the reviews, asked why five


Far from the supposed propaganda of quasi-protestant Welsh churchmen resisting the incursion of 'Roman Catholic' Normans, the Lives of the Welsh saints were written in the main by reformed churchmen for a largely Anglo-Norman audience. Although the early Welsh March was the setting for political, cultural, and ecclesiastical conflict, we must nevertheless do away with anachronistic political and religious judgments in evaluating the nature of that conflict. In relation to the cult of saints, it has become difficult to avoid the impression that conflict was tempered by a cultural transmission which passed as much from conquered to conqueror as the other way around.


: This study used data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Tobit model to measure farming household food production efficiency, analyze the impact of farmland transfer on grain production efficiency, and discuss the moderating effect of household livelihood differentiation on the impact of farmland transfer on grain production efficiency based on the microscopic farming household survey data. The results show that the level of wheat production efficiency in the research area was relatively high. Cultivated land inflow positively affects wheat production scale efficiency through land scale effect, thus promoting the improvement of comprehensive efficiency. Cultivated land outflow positively affects the technical efficiency of wheat production through factor spillover, thus promoting the improvement of comprehensive efficiency. Under the moderating effect of farmers ' livelihood differentiation, the positive influence of cultivated land transfer on the comprehensive efficiency of wheat production was weakened, while the positive influence of cultivated land outflow on the comprehensive efficiency of wheat production was strengthened. Cultivated land inflow area has an inverted U-shaped effect on the comprehensive efficiency and scale efficiency of wheat production. When the transfer scale reaches 46.27 mu and 37.13 mu respectively, the impact of cultivated land inflow area on the comprehensive efficiency and scale efficiency of wheat production changes from positive to negative. Cultivated land outflow area has a direct positive effect on the comprehensive efficiency of wheat production. In conclusion, we should pay close attention to improving the farmland circulation market, encourage part-time farmers who rely less on farming to transfer their farmland management right to other households, and vigorously promote the dissemination of agricultural technologies.


Abstract : The primary objective of this study was to determine whether the losses of lipid substances in sweat, under conditions of profuse sweating, were of significance. Under the conditions of this study at high enviromental temperatures, the total excretion of lipid substances in sweat was low and would not seem to be of consequence in studies of lipid metabolism. During a 7 1/2 hour exposure period at high temperatures, the total lipid excretion in sweat ranged between 25 and 46 mg. As one would expect, since the total lipid excretion in sweat was low, the excretion of cholesterol, free and total, and lipid phosphorus were also low. (Author)


What is at stake in the moment of the happy consciousness as it is developed in the margins of the chapters of the Phenomenology of the Spirit on aesthetic religion and manifest religion? Various interpretations are considered, which clarify notably the distinction between the notions of contrast (Kontrast) and of contradiction (Widerspruch), the role of the comic in Hegel's philosophy, the importance of Blessedness (Seligkeit) and of happiness (Gluckseligkeit) (transl. by J. Dudley). © 2010 Revue Philosophique de Louvain.


In order to improve the recognition rate of license plate characters, a new method based on combination feature and partial character input is proposed. First, according to the texture characteristics of the license plate character, the basic LBP operator is improved, and then the characteristics of the license plate partial character image are extracted using the improved local binary mode and horizontal vertical projection, and the classifier is trained with the extracted features. Then use this classifier to classify and identify license plate characters. The experimental results show that the overall recognition rate of license plate reaches 94.56 %, which proves the effectiveness and robustness of this method.


In the article the results of statistical analysis is presented with the use of basic statistical parameters and box and whisker plot conducted for the dataset, containing answers to the question E9 from BOST survey. Measures of central tendency and variation were employed for analysis of the data connected with the assessment of human problems and production-related issues in three analysed companies: a steel company, a plastics processing company and a retail chain.


You might find this additional info useful...This article cites€25 articles, 12 of which you can access for free at: http://jap.physiology.org/content/89/6/2227.full#ref-list-1This article has been cited by€7 other HighWire-hosted articles: http://jap.physiology.org/content/89/6/2227#cited-by Updated information and services including high resolution figures, can be found at: http://jap.physiology.org/content/89/6/2227.fullAdditional material and information about Journal of Applied Physiology can be found at: http://www.the-aps.org/publications/japplThis information is current as of June 10, 2013.


In this work the Suma Kausai or Good Living – Nice Living, was taken as the main element as a methodological path and as a route to success. The main reason is that it is a model in which indigenous peoples have managed to maintain the balance in their territories. A specific case is the Inga people in Aponte, who have remained for approximately 300 years trying to maintain that objective but at present, the phenomenon of globalization and colonization have affected with all their force all the corners of its territory, for this reason they have decided to strengthen this principle of life and generate local strategies to continue to survive in time and space. The strategies generated in this work are related to the strengthening of proper governance and traditional authority, reduction of sources of pollution in rivers to conserve water as a sacred element, and conserving the bio-cultural diversity, that is to say conserving the genetics of the species of plants and animals as well as the uses and the customs that comprise of this town. This is how the Inga community in Aponte will harmonize its territory to conserve life and build scenarios of peace as an example for all humanity.


Aim To investigate the pharmacological characteristics of benthiactzine's antagonism on cholinergic receptors activities and to evaluate the antidotal effects of benthiactzine against ChEI poisoning,which were compared with the effects of atropine.Methods The convulsions in mice and the construction of isolated guinea pig ileum induced by nicotine were used to assess the effects of benthiactzine on central and peripheral nicotinic receptors.The central tremor and peripheral salivation caused by arecoline,the salivation caused by pilocarpine,and the isolated guinea pig ileum construction induced by acetylcholine or oxotremorine were carried out to assess the effects of benthiactzine on central and peripheral muscarinic receptors.The mixed tremor evoked by nicotine combined with pilocarpine was also used to assess the antagonism of benthiactzine on cholinergic receptors.In addition,a poison resistance(PR) value was introduced to evaluate the antilethal effect of benthiactzine and atropine in organophosphorus pesticide DDVP poisoning mice.Results ① The ED50±L95 value of benthiactzine antagonizing to central tremor caused by arecoline(8 mg·kg-1,sc) in mice was(0.31±0.06) mg·kg-1,which was 3.3 times stronger than that of atropine(1.33±0.17) mg·kg-1,P0.05.② The ED50±L95 value of benthiactzine(ip 15 min) antagonizing to peripheral salivation caused by arecoline(8 mg·kg-1,sc) in mice was(0.38±0.09) mg·kg-1,which was 1.2 times weaker than that of atropine(0.17±0.03) mg·kg-1,P0.05.The ED50±L95 value of benthiactzine antagonizing to peripheral salivation caused by pilocarpine(40 mg·kg-1,sc) in mice was(5.57±1.30) mg·kg-1,which was 11 times weaker than that of atropine(0.46±0.18 mg·kg-1,P0.01).③ The ED50±L95 value of benthiactzine against convulsions induced by nicotine(1.0 mg·kg-1,iv) in mice was(2.87±0.76) mg·kg-1,which indicated that benthiactzine had strong antagonism on central nicotinic receptors.④ In isolated guinea pig ileum preparations,the IC50±L95 value of benthiactzine inhibiting the nicotine-induced contractions was(1.1±0.18) μmol·L-1,which was 13 times stronger than that of atropine(13.84±1.68 μmol·L-1,P0.05).Benthiactzine was found to antagonize nicotine-induced contractions due to excitation of ganglionic nicotinic receptors.⑤ The ED50±L95 value of benthiactzine antagonizing to mixed tremor caused by pilocarpine(50 mg·kg-1,ip) combined with nicotine(2.5 mg·kg-1,ip) in mice was(2.64±0.35) mg·kg-1,which was approximately 1 times stronger than that of atropine(4.95±0.65 mg·kg-1,P0.05).⑥ Administration of benthiactzine at a dose of 10 mg·kg-1 raised the PR value of DDVP to 17.84,whereas atropine at the same dose increased it only to 1.81,showing a weaker effect of atropine compared with benthiactzine.The ED50±L95 value of benthiactzine antagonizing to the lethal effect caused by DDVP(1.2 LD,sc) was(2.87±0.40) mg·kg-1,which was much lower than that of atropine(6.87±3.92 mg·kg-1,P0.05).Conclusions Benthiactzine exhibits stronger central antimuscarinic effects and weaker peripheral antimuscarinic effects than atropine.Benthiactzine has definite antagonism on central and peripheral ganglionic nicotinic receptors.These features contribute to that benthiactzine possesses a more potent effect than atropine in counteracting DDVP poisoning.


In the given article the author, based on the results of the research published in the web-magazine "Strategy of Business", formulates the first portion of suggestions to the new pension system paradigm. The methods based on the General Systems Theory of Urmantsev were used during the research. Developing the suggestions, the author makes an attempt to cope with a task of keeping the financial position of the pensioners (wage replacement rate) for the long period without an increase of both the social contributions rate and the retirement age.


A real-time implementation of the low-delay code-excited linear prediction (LD-CELP) speech coder based on the AT&T DSP32C is described. The performance of the coder is described. Recursive windowing is used to calculate the autocorrelation coefficients by dividing the Levinson-Durbin recursion into smaller parts and spreading the computation over several speech vectors. The LD-CELP encoder uses about 90% of the processor time of an 80-ns DSP32C, while the decoder uses about 40%. Hence, the coder is implemented on two DSP32Cs. For a single encoding with clear or noisy channels, the speech quality produced by this coder is either equivalent to or better than the CCITT G.721 standard 32-kb/s ADPCM. However, for multiple asynchronous encodings the ADPCM coders gives slightly better performance. The LD-CELP coder passes dual-tone multifrequency tones and 300-, 1200-, and 2400-b/s modem signals.<<ETX>>


Preparation of twelve 1-methyl-2-formyl-5-substituted pyrroles (2a-1), with five of them as new compounds, is described. Their derivatives, i.e., 1-methyl-2-formyl-5-substituted pyrrole phenyl hydrazones (3a-1) and 1-methyl-2-formyl-5-substituted pyrrole (4-nitrophenyl) hydrazones (4a-1) are all new compounds. They have also been prepared and further identified.


In the article the problems connected with development of mortgage in Russia are considered. The current state of bank system and possibility of creation of the State Land Bank of Russia is analyzed.


Introduction. Hirsutism is a condition which results in of excess male pattern hair growth - the androgen dependent hair in females. Excessive hair growth usually starts around puberty. The aim of this study was to show the signifi cance of hormonal diagnosis in female adolescent hirsute patients. Material and Methods. The material consisted of medical documentation of 128 female adolescent patients aged 13–22 who came for a consultation because of excess male pattern hair growth (second degree of hirsutism according to the Ferriman-Gallwey scale) which they considered unacceptable. The history was indicative of considerable discomfort, decreased mood in subjects and low self-esteem (especially regarding patient's femininity). Results. Results of the analysis were confronted with the results of a group of an equal number of participants. Conclusions. Hormonal tests in female patients with hirsutism were proven to constitute a major diagnostic element allowing for correct diagnosis of the cause of hirsutism, planning further tests and treatment methods. Considering its causes and effects, hirsutism in adolescent patients is a serious concern for developmental gynecology. This disorder is a endocrynological or gynecological problem, which infl uences patient's well-being.


The common form of spin matrix in the Dirac theory is proven to be the general one.The proof here is independent of representation.


Antenna implementations play a significant role in the field of wireless communication and aid the transmission and reception of electromagnetic wave propagation. The shape, size, and parameters of this crucial system depend on the certain range of frequency band allocation. The WiFi network operates at the spectrum of 2.4GHz to 5.9GHz, and the recent 802.11 standard ranges up to 60GHz. But the coverage area for indoor or outdoor deployment is very narrow which requires efficient antenna coverage from far distance to the access point network. This work proposed an optimized directional half-wave dipole antenna, adaptable for affixation to panel and yagi-uda antennas. This technique of antenna coverage optimization was achieved through the varying of antenna parameters to obtain better performance with reference to 100W rated, 2.4GHz, and 2.18dB gain WiFi half-wave dipole having a range of 150m. The optimized antenna operates at a frequency of 2.4GHz – 5.9GHz with a beam distance of 500m and an improved gain of 4.73dB. This obtained result shows a better performance in comparison to the understudied antenna, which makes it a candidate for WiFi and low-frequency broadband dipole antenna applications.


A novel very-large-mode-area asymmetric rod-type fiber was fabricated and experimentally characterized. The fiber supports effective and robust single-mode operation for a core diameter of 66μm making it attractive for high power amplifier systems.


To assess the supervisory skills of sport psychologists who are training future practitioners, the Sport Psychology Supervisory Skills Inventory (SPSSI) was mailed to 201 potential applied sport psychology supervisors. Supervisors were associated with graduate programs that offered applied sport psychology practica and/or internships, as identified in the Directory of Graduate Programs in Applied Sport Psychology (Sachs, Burke, & Salitsky, 1992). Supervisors rated themselves on 41 supervisory skills. The SPSSI was also mailed to 416 student members of AAASP, who were asked to rate their supervisors. There was a 35% return rate from supervisors and a 45% return rate from students. The findings suggest that supervised experience with athletes is limited for both supervisors and graduate students.


The authors made comparative observations on thermoregulation and sweat secretion in a light bath with a salt-rich and salt-poor "raw" diet. It turned out that with the "raw" diet the light sweat bath was generally better tolerated.


Let P denote the set of primes and {f (p)} p∈P be a sequence of independent Bernoulli random variables taking values ±1 with probability 1/2. Extending f by multiplicativity to a random multiplicative function f supported on the set of squarefree integers, we prove that, for any e > 0, the estimate nx f (n) √ x (log log x) 3/2+e holds almost surely—thus qualitatively matching the law of iterated logarithm, valid for independent variables. This improves on corresponding results by Wintner, Erd˝ os and Halasz .


The invention provides a specialized notebook convenient to electronize and method for adding same into an electronic calendar. The method of adding the convenient specialized notebook into the electronic calendar includes photographing paper page images of the convenient specialized notebook; confirming the type of the paper pages according to the paper page images to obtain the position of a date area printed on the paper pages of the specialized notebook; confirming four edge lines of the paper page images by lines in the images detection method, rectifying the page area restricted by the four edge lines to a square area, confirming the accurate position of the date area in the square area; recognizing the date and time in the date area, atomically opening the electronic calendar, setting backlogs according to the acquired date and time on the electronic calendar and conducting the contents in the rectified square area as the backlogs. The specialized notebook convenient to electronize and method for adding the same into the electronic calendar has the advantages of atomically adding electronic documents as backlogs into the electronic calendar by utilizing applications such as CamScanner, being convenient for the users and avoiding the troublesome caused by manual input.


The TRansUranic =traction process (TRUEX) is being evaluated for the treatment of Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) wastes. The treated wastes resulting ffom the TRUEX and subsequent fission product separation processes is anticipated to be grouted and disposed as non-TRU low-level wastes (LLW). The resulting fractions containing the TRUs and fission products will be vitrified and disposed of as high-level waste (HLW). Solid calcine is one of the wastes under evaluation for TRU removal by the TRUEX process. The calcine must first be dissolved in nitric acid prior to the removal of TRUs and fission products. Zirconium type calcine (generated from zirconium fuel reprocessing raffinates) comprises the majority of the calcine currently stored at the ICPP. The zirconium calcines average 18.3 wt% Zr02 and are anticipated to be the most challenging to treat with regards to TRU removal because of the large zirconium content. This paper reports the results from a countercurrent flowsheet test performed with a dissolved calcine simulant in a 2-cm centrifugal contactor pilot plant. The simulant was spiked with radioactive 241Am and "Zr to facilitate analysis and evaluate the behavior of the actinides. Flooding and precipitate formation were observed in the strip section during the flowsheet testing. It is postulated that the flooding occurred as a result of precipitate formation. The precipitate was determined to be ZrP04 and was likely formed due the excessive amount of Zr carried into the strip section with the organic phase. Roughly 65% of the Zr in the feed was extracted. Of the extracted Zr, 15.6% reported to the strip product and 15.1% ended up in the organic effluent, indicating the strip section was ineffective at re-extracting Zr. The poor strip section performance was probably due to the precipitation and concomitant flooding problems encountered in the test, resulting in the strip section never achieving steady state operating conditions. Despite the obvious problems encountered during the test, >99.18% of the americium was removed from the feed in the extraction section. This may be slightly lower than the anticipated 99.9% Am removal efficiency necessary to insure the 4 0 nCi/g TRU content in the LLW raffinate. Comparison of results from previous tests with those obtained in this experiment is indicative that the operating envelope in this specific flowsheet may be too narrow to meet the desired objectives. Consequently, alternative methods for dealing with the problems encountered with TRUEX processing of dissolved Zr calcine are required. Future experiments are planned to evaluate alternative dissolution methods and the use of citric acid for feed adjustment and as a scrub solution.


The COVID-19 pandemic is currently the most significant public health emergency worldwide and has impacted many sectors, including in Indonesia. The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has continued to increase since the first case identified on 1 March 2020. The massive impacts of COVID-19 pandemic are not merely related to the fast transmission of the disease itself, but also with the fast spread of various information, both accurate and inaccurate, which have raised confusion in the community. The epidemic of information, which is called "infodemic" is defined by World Health Organisation as too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak.


Abstract. Energetic oxygen ions (1–40 keV) observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale
(MMS) satellites at the duskside magnetopause boundary layer during phase 1
are investigated. There are 57 duskside magnetopause crossing events identified during
intense substorms (AE>500 nT). These 57 events of
energetic O+ at the duskside magnetopause include 26 events during the
expansion phase and 31 events during the recovery phase of intense
substorms. It is found that the O+ density in the duskside
magnetopause boundary layer during the recovery phase (0.081 cm−3) is
larger than that during the expansion phase (0.069 cm−3). The 26 events
of energetic O+ ions at the duskside magnetopause during intense
substorm expansion phase are all under the southward interplanetary magnetic
field (IMF). There are only seven events under northward IMF, and they all
occurred during the intense substorm recovery phase. The density of
energetic O+ at the duskside magnetopause ranges from 0.007 to 0.599 cm−3. The maximum density of O+ occurred during the intense
substorm recovery phase and under southward IMF. When the IMF is southward,
the O+ density shows an exponential increase with the IMF Bz
absolute value. Meanwhile, the O+/H+ density ratio shows an
exponential growth with the IMF By. These results agree with previous
studies in the near-Earth magnetosphere during intense substorm. It is
suggested that O+ abundance in the duskside magnetopause boundary
layer has a close relation to O+ variations in the near-Earth
magnetosphere during intense substorms.


In the present study relations between the sound level of shooting sounds and the probability of behaviorally confirmed noise‐induced awakening reactions were determined. The sounds were presented by means of loudspeakers in the bedrooms of 30 volunteers. The shooting sounds had been produced by a small and a medium‐large firearm, and the stimuli consisted of individual bangs or volleys of ten isolated or partly overlapping impulses. Aircraft sound was included as a reference source. The sounds were presented during a 6‐h period that started 75 min after the beginning of the sleeping period. The time period between the various stimuli varied between 12 and 18 min, with a mean of 15 min. To cope with at least a relevant portion of habituation effects, each subject participated in 18 nights to be completed within 4 weeks. Preliminary results are presented both for the awakening reactions described above, and for various other dependent variables collected with the help of an actimeter or determined by means...


The positive observer design problem is considered for a class of positive delayed Markovian jump systems (PDMJSs). Firstly, a necessary and sufficient condition is established to check the positivity of delayed Markovian jump systems (DMJSs). Then, necessary and sufficient conditions for PDMJSs being asymptotically mean stable are established to be independent of time delay. Based on the proposed results, sufficient conditions for the existence of the desired positive observer gains including mode-independent case are provided. Additionally, more general cases that transition rate matrix (TRM) is partially unknown or uncertain are considered, respectively. Finally, a numerical example is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.


Objective:With observation about the change process of DWI and T 2 WI in the early stage of postdecompressive brain bulk enlargement, it is proved whether brain edema occurs Methods:DWI and T 2 WI were performed in 6 cats at four time points (before compression and 2?4?6 hours after decompression) to examine the postdecompressive brain bulk enlargement Results:DWI and T 2 WIshowed that the postdecompressive swollen cerebral tissue shifted increasingly to the contralateral side Within 2 hours after decompression, the hypointensity signal of DWI was observed in the swollen hemisphere Within 4 hours after decompression, the high signal of T 2 WI was observed in the swollen hemisphere Conclusions:The vasogenic edema occured in the early stage (2 h) of the postdecompressive brain bulk enlargement


Chinese yellow rice wine has a long-standing history.In its long development process,it has integrated with Confucian culture and become a part of Chinese national culture.In this paper,the characteristics of yellow rice wine and Confucian culture were introduced briefly,and the common points between yellow rice wine and Confucian culture in the fields of character,entiquette and connotation etc.were summed up.


During the Fall of 1987 a land mobile satellite demonstration using the MARECS B2 satellite at 26 degrees W was performed. While all the data have not been digested, some observations are in order. First, the system worked remarkably well for the margins indicated. Second, when the system worked poorly, the experimenters could almost always identify terrain or other obstacles causing blockage. Third, the forward link seems relatively more reliable than the return link, and occasional return link problems occured which have not been entirely explained.


229 Background: HCC is the 6th most common cancer worldwide with > 70% of cases in Asia. There is limited real-world data on the diagnosis, treatment modalities, outcomes and treatment costs in HCC. Methods: The HCC Registry in Asia (AHCC08) is a multi-country longitudinal cohort study of HCC patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2019. Target sample size is 2500 from 9 geographies: China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Thailand. We present initial data on diagnosis, etiology, stage at presentation, and treatment modalities of HCC from China [CN] (5 centers), Singapore [SG] (3 centers), South Korea [SK] (4 centers), and Japan [JP] (2 centers). Results: 657 patients (436 CN; 102 SG; 85 SK; 34 JP) were evaluated in August 2018. Patients from China were diagnosed at a younger age, while patients from Japan were diagnosed at an older age (mean age 51 years CN; 67 years SG; 58 years SK; 68 years JP). The highest proportion of regular alcohol drinkers were from Japan (16% CN; 21% SG; 24% SK; 50% JP) and occasional drinkers from China (20% CN; 17% SG; 12% SK; 15% JP). 77% had Hepatitis B across the 5 geographies, with the highest incidence in China (93%), followed by South Korea (68%). 27% were diagnosed using AASLD/APASL imaging criteria, with the highest utilization in Singapore (66% AASLD; 80% APASL) and South Korea (64% AASLD; 20% APASL). Later-stage patients (according to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging guidelines) were more predominant in Japan (Stage C: 28% CN, 16% SG, 8% SK, 41% JP; Stage D: 0.5% CN, 0% SG, 1% SK, 3% JP). Relatively few radiofrequency ablations were carried out as the first-line therapy across the 5 geographies (2% CN; 5% SG; 2% SK; 0% JP). In China, liver resection was preferred in first-line HCC treatment (65% CN vs 28% SG, SK, and JP aggregated), followed by loco-regional (27% CN vs 7% SG, SK, and JP aggregated) and systemic therapy (2% CN vs 10% SG, SK, and JP aggregated). Conclusions: There is considerable variation in presentation and management patterns between the 5 geographies. These data will benefit policymakers, companies and clinicians in improving policies and developing treatment strategies for HCC. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03233360).


The Introduction offers a background to the Victorian poet and Victorian poetry. The concepts of popularity and intrinsic merit are discussed, and literary criticism is examined through several periodicals that enjoyed a wide readership. The power that reviewers held over the reception of poetry was both commercial and critical, and the spontaneity of writers could be eradicated by the reviewing culture. Although it was impossible not to be conscious of the periodical reviewing culture, poets had to affect an ignorance about writing for this specific audience. In order for their work to be considered truthful and sincere, poets were expected to be oblivious of the system that would evaluate and mediate their work to the public. In reviewers' evaluations of voice, style, and address, there is a concern with how poetry is mediated in the Victorian period.


Abstract: Effective and efficient communication is crucial for food chains active in today's global food market. This chapter highlights the importance of communication and related challenges based on consumer data from several EU-funded research projects dealing with traditional foods, beef, pork and seafood. Apart from intrinsic food qualities relating to safety and healthiness, emerging ethical issues are also recognised. Consumers are open to receiving additional and easily accessible food quality reassurance. This can be done through labelling or on-label indications that are backed up and guaranteed by trustworthy traceability systems that underscore the supply chains' integrity.


The relationship between art and death in Art History is not unfamiliar. There are pictures of the ars moriendi in front of which man comprehends his anxieties and searches for consolation as peace. Peter Paul Rubens created such works in high numbers: the same Assumption of Mary five times for large altars. The best of these still hangs today in the Cathedral of Antwerp. It is an apotheosis in light and in bright colors, a belief-filled and prayerful picture that concerns the transformation of death into life. Thousands of these kinds of pictures are found in museums, so that their role for consolation and eternals peace is lost. In modern times, death in form and style has been lost. Now another artist of our own time brings death as an event back into the museum. Gregor Schneider has the idea of death-spaces in museums. They are bright, flooded with light. They lay away from the streams of visitors, only slightly accessible, illuminated, filled with light and color: death-boxes in the museum, wide rooms in which "to die beautifully and fulfilled," as Schneider says.


Amplicon-based Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is an emerging method for Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing (DST) but has not been well described. We examined 158 clinical multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates via NGS of 11 resistance-associated gene regions covering 3519 nucleotides. Across these gene regions, complete resistance or heteroresistance (defined as 1%-99% mutation) was present in at least one isolate in 6.3% of loci. The number of isolates with heteroresistance was highest for gyrA codon 94, rpoB codons 526 and 531, and embB codons 306, 372 and 406 (range 11–26% of isolates exhibited heteroresistance). 57% of MDR strains had heteroresistance of one or more recognized resistance-associated mutation. Heteroresistant loci generally exhibited high or low degrees of mutation (>90% or <10%). The deep sensitivity of NGS for detecting low level pncA heteroresistance appeared to improve genotypic-phenotypic PZA susceptibility correlations over that of Sanger. NGS demonstrates that heteroresistance in TB in the regions of key genes is common and will need to be bioinformatically managed. The clinical significance of such heteroresistance is unclear, and further study of pncA should be pursued.


A variable frequency multi-phase oscillator for providing multi-phase signals is disclosed. The variable frequency multi-phase oscillator includes a correlator, a plurality of delay cells, and a NOR circuit. Each delay cell includes a current supply, a capacitor, a comparator, a switch, and a logic unit. The plurality of delay cells generate the multi-phase signals that are phase correlated within a large frequency range. The frequency and duty cycles of the multi-phase signals are adjustable.


<para> We demonstrate a microwave photonic receiver operating at 35-GHz carrier frequency with a sensitivity exceeding <emphasis emphasistype="italic"><formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">${-}$</tex></formula></emphasis>70 dBm in a 3-MHz frequency band and possessing more than 40-dB dynamic range when operated in the direct detection mode. The receiver is based on a lithium niobate optical whispering gallery mode resonator coupled to a microwave strip line resonator. We theoretically analyze the performance of the receiver and estimate its optimal achievable sensitivity and dynamic range. </para>


This paper deals with the approximate merging problem of multiple adjacent Bezier curves with different degrees by a single Bezier curve, which is a frequently seen problem in modeling. The unified matrix representation for precise merging is presented and the approx- imate merging curve is further derived based on matrix operation. Continuity at the endpoints of curves is also discussed in the merging process. Examples show that the method in this paper achieves satisfying merging results. 2008 National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science in China Press. All rights reserved.


The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of multimedia CAI on undergraduate PETE majors' teaching of the serve in tennis. The data were obtained from 18 undergraduate students enrolled in a PETE evaluation and assessment course at Virginia Tech. Subjects were stratified by gender and randomly assigned to three groups as Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) group (n=6), Teacher Instruction (TI) group (n=6), and Control (CG) group (n=6). The results of this study were gathered from three tests: Tennis Serve Content Knowledge Test, Tennis Serve Skill Analysis Test, Tennis Task Sequence Test. In addition, two six minutes micro teaching sessions were conducted and data was collected via Tennis Serve Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Assessment Sheet, and finally, an open ended survey was completed to understand students' attitudes toward CAI. There are two independent variables in this study. These are Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) and Teacher Instruction (TI). A pre-test and post-test experimental design was applied. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine the differences among the three groups, and pairwise ranking with the Mann Whitney U test was conducted between all comparisons as a post hoc analysis. Moreover, the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was used to determine pre-to post-test changes within the groups. Alpha set at p<0.5. Overall, teacher instruction (TI) intervention was very dominant in the results. Teacher instruction (TI) group performed significantly in the tennis serve content knowledge test, tennis serve task analysis test, PCK-Appropriate cues, and PCK-Appropriate demonstration. However, CAI group was also successful in the tennis serve content knowledge test and PCK-Appropriate demonstration. Interestingly, none of the groups were successful in the tennis serve skill analysis test and PCK-Appropriate feedback. Finally, students' perception toward CAI was positive in general and students indicated that they would like to use CAI in other PETE method courses. However, some of the students reported that CAI was very repetitive, and also technical problems were reported. The results of this study indicated that CAI can be an effective way of instruction in certain conditions: CAI had significant effect on content knowledge and PCK-Appropriate demonstration. iii DEDICATION Dedicated to my parents, Osman and Sevim Konukman. Without their love and support I could not make my dreams today iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank to my committee chair Dr. Richard Stratton. During my Ph. D. education at Virginia Tech, Dr. Stratton was very helpful and a lifesaver whenever I need his help. …


In 1845, members of the Wisconsin press led the charge to create a historical society and urged its fellow members to gather their respective newspapers each year and donate them to the society's library.
An editor wrote, "A full collection of Territorial papers, neatly bound and preserved in the State library, we hardly need suggest, would be of the utmost importance for future reference. Come then, brethren, let us arrange ourselves cheek by jowl in some vacant alcove, that we may tell the wise ones that come after us, what happened in our day."

This progressive way of thinking helped to establish the Wisconsin Historical Society and was the beginning of an impressive newspaper collection.

Today, publishers are not as altruistic as their predecessors when it comes to the preservation of newspapers. Local historical societies, public libraries, and the Wisconsin Historical Society, are leading the way in archiving original newspapers, microfilm or digital newspapers.

As for the newspapers' websites, no one in the state has archived or is currently archiving the online version of the various publications, creating a void of born digital material from the past decade.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has started a test project in hopes of reversing this trend. By using Archive-It, the Historical Society is crawling selected weekly newspaper websites once a week for four to six months. This test will provide an idea of the storage space required and the associated storage costs, allowing us to see whether it is a viable project.

An interested player in this test project is the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Through their involvement, we are hoping publishers will be persuaded to assist with the costs, allowing the project to grow so that we may tell the wise ones that come after us, what happened in our day.


ABSTRACT Uptake, retention, metabolism, and depuration of diaromatic hydrocarbons by the polychaete, Neanthes arenaceodentata, were examined in experiments utilizing seawater solutions and sediments contaminated with either No. 2 fuel oil water-soluble fractions or radio-labelled naphthalenes. Polychaetes rapidly accumulate 14C-naphthalene (magnification factor = 40X) from solution during short-term exposure (24 hr). Worms slowly released hydrocarbons accumulated during acute exposure down to undetectable levels (<0.05 ppm) within 300 hours after return to clean seawater. 14C-naphthalene accumulated from solution was metabolized by polychaetes, and associated microflora apparently play no role in uptake, release, or metabolism. Analyses of worms held for 28 days in clay-silt sediments artificially contaminated with No. 2 fuel oil (9 μg total naphthalenes/g wet sediment) indicate that naphthalenes were not accumulated by worms at tissue concentrations above 0.1 ppm. Polychaetes likewise failed to accumulat...


According to a new study, emergency responders could cut costs and save time by using near-real-time satellite data along with other decision-making tools after a flooding disaster.


This research was conducted using R D (Research and Development) approach or development research that produces a product. This study aims to know the quality and describe the procedure of developing implementation manuals, to address the behavior of students victims of cyber abuse. The resulting development product is an implementation manual. In the initial development process, the developer consults with media experts, material experts, as well as practitioners (guidance and counseling teachers) to get input and advice on the products developed. This research instrument is a questionnaire of asertive behavior. The results of the assessment are analyzed using descriptive percentage analysis techniques. The results of the research obtained from the validation of expert tests and practitioner tests (guidance and counseling teachers) showed that the implementation manual is classified as a good category and scored 4.1. Thus the product is declared worthy to be used as a medium in information services to improve the behavior of students victims of cyber abuse.Keywords: research and development, guidebooks, assertive training, victims of cyber bullying


Viruses are important constraints to the movement and propagation of plant germplasm, especially for vegetatively propagated crops such as banana and plantain. Their control relies primarily on the use of virus-free plant material, whose production and certification requires sensitive and reliable detection methods. Two members of the family Flexiviridae infect Musa spp : Banana mild mosaic virus (BanMMV) and Banana virus X (BVX). BanMMV causes mild leaf chlorosis symptoms in single infection but mixed infections with Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) or Banana streak virus (BSV) can lead to important leaf necrosis. BanMMV transmission occurs mainly through vegetative propagation although recent data showed that plant-to-plant transmission occurs at a low rate [1]. BanMMV has therefore become an important constraint to the conservation, movement and exchange of Musa germplasm. Banana virus X was recently identified in Guadeloupe [2]. No symptom can be associated to the presence of this virus and no prevalence study could be carried out due to the lack of a detection method. Therefore, an existing polyvalent reverse transcription degenerate oligonucleotide PCR assay (PDO RTPCR, [3]) was adapted to the specific detection of BanMMV and BVX from banana plants [4]. Polyvalent degenerate oligonucleotides (PDO) containing inosine residues were found to be well suited to the detection of BanMMV, despite its high molecular diversity [1], but not to that of BVX, for which species-specific primers were designed. Sampling and sample processing steps were optimized in order to avoid nucleic acid purification prior to the reverse transcription step. A polyclonal anti-BanMMV antiserum was raised and successfully used for the immunocapture (IC) of BanMMV viral particles from leaf extracts, leading to the development of a PDO-IC-RT-nested PCR assay. Although the anti-BanMMV antiserum could recognize to some extent BVX viral particles, direct binding (DB) was shown to be a more efficient method for processing BVX-infected samples and a PDO-DB-RT-nested PCR assay was developed for the detection of BVX from leaf extracts. (Texte integral)


ABSTRACT The economic development of Taiwan has generally encountered the bottleneck in recent years. The strategies in the past have been challenged and questioned now. Firms adopted strategies that pursue of scale economy or duplication of the mass production model in the developing or undeveloped countries, have been challenged by those firms in the emerging countries like China. Such cost leadership models only pursue the low-cost strategy are unable to meet with the modern competition demands. Consequently, Kim and Mauborgne (2005) proposed the strategy of value innovation and emphasized reconsideration of the enterprise's strategies from the customer's viewpoint. After reviewing the related literatures and empirical researches, this study developed a research framework with operational measurement dimensions to investigate the relationships between firm's resources, technology network, and its collaborative degree of value innovation in supply chain. The degree of collaboration in value innovation is measure by an index developed by combining the constructs of information sharing, decision synchronization and incentive consistency. The construct of enterprise's performance is divided into three dimensions as financial, market and customer value. A mail survey was conducted toward the TFT-LCD industry in Taiwan. Totally, 182 questionnaires were sent and 116 valid questionnaires were responded. Through factor analysis, regression analysis, logistic analysis and ANOVA analysis, the empirical result and research conclusions were concluded. The results of this study showed: 1. The technology network relationship would impact on the degree of collaboration in value innovation in supply chain. 2. The strategic resources would impact on the degree of collaboration in value innovation in supply chain. 3. The supply chain network relationship and strategic resources would impact on firms' performance under different degree of collaboration in value innovation.


This paper presents 3-D simulation of angled strike heavy ion induced charge collection in Silicon-Germanium Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (SiGe HBTs). We select several different striking angles at various typical ion strike positions. The charge collection mechanism for each terminal is identified based on analysis of the device structure and simulation results. Angled strike ions induced charge collection present complex situation. With the change of striking angle, the longer the length of the ions track in sensitive volume, the more charge is collected. STI will prevent a part of diffused charge that charge collection reduces.


The scientific development concept has a deep connotation and is of guiding importance.In order to act on this concept,higher vocational education must adhere to sustainable development.This paper,taking into consideration the common problems in construction and development of higher vocational institutes,proposes the correct disposal of several relations between quantity and quality,connotation and denotation,current and long-term in sustainable evelopment.


Models of decision making are distinguished by those that aim for an optimal solution in a world that is precisely specified by a set of assumptions (a so-called " small world ") and those that aim for a simple but satisfactory solution in an uncertain world where the assumptions of optimization models may not be met (a so-called " large world "). Few connections have been drawn between these 2 families of models. In this study, the authors show how psychological concepts originating in the classic signal-detection theory (SDT), a small-world approach to decision making, can be used to understand the workings of a class of simple models known as fast-and-frugal trees (FFTs). Results indicate that (a) the setting of the subjective decision criterion in SDT corresponds directly to the choice of exit structure in an FFT; (b) the sensitivity of an FFT (measured in dЈ) is reflected by the order of cues searched and the properties of cues in an FFT, including the mean and variance of cues' individual dЈs, the intercue correlation, and the number of cues; and (c) compared with the ideal and the optimal sequential sampling models in SDT and a majority model with an information search component, FFTs are extremely frugal (i.e., do not search for much cue information), highly robust, and well adapted to the payoff structure of a task. These findings demonstrate the potential of theory integration in understanding the common underlying psychological structures of apparently disparate theories of cognition. Louis Cook of the Emergency Medical Services division of the New York City Fire Department noted how the triage system Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) helped his team prioritize victims and identify the ones who needed help the most (Cook, 2001). START classifies the injured into two major categories: those who need medical treatment immediately and those whose treatment can be delayed. When employing START, which is illustrated in Figure 1, a paramedic sequentially checks up to five diagnostic cues to decide which category a person falls into; a decision can be made after each cue is checked. In essence, START is a decision tree with a very simple and transparent structure. Using this type of tree, a person does not need to search for and integrate all the relevant information to reach a decision; thus, a decision can be quickly made with little effort. Such trees are designed to help people …


Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in Jombang District increased in 2018 up
to 90 per 100,000 live births. However, the MMR did not meet the target of SDGs,
which is 70 per 100,000 live births. Most of the maternal mortalities occur because
of health attack, severe pre-eclampsia, and blooding. Around 83% of maternal
mortalities happen in the post-natal phase. Thus, post-natal care should be carried
out by involving several health practitioners who have competence and authority
according to the standard mentioned by the Regulation of the Indonesian Ministry
of Health and WHO. Those professions that should be in the post-natal care are
doctors, midwives, nutritionists, and laboratorians. Based on the initial study done,
the post-natal care in primary healthcare centers of Jombang District is only carried
out by midwives, and no interprofessional collaborative practices involve. This
study was aimed to formulate recommendations about Interprofessional
Collaborative Practice at postnatal care to improve the quality of healthcare.
The study is quasi-experimental with the prospective approach. The study
involves pre-test and post-test with control design. The study was conducted in 8
primary healthcare centers consisting of 4 experimental groups and four control
groups. The interventions are given in the forms of training and modules about
integrated post-natal care based on Interprofessional Collaborative Practice in
primary healthcare centers. The data are analyzed by using a paired t-test,
independent t-test, and Pearson correlation test.
The results show that there is a significant difference on each independent
variable and intermediate variable of experimental groups in pre-intervention and
post-intervention. The Pearson correlation test shows there is a significant
correlation between independent variables (trust, flexibility, cooperation,
communication skills, leadership, and supporting structure) and intermediate
variables (understanding about roles, dependency, knowledge sharing, and shared
goals). Also, there is a significant correlation between intermediate variables and
dependent variables (the quality of healthcare).
In conclusion, trust, flexibility, cooperation, and communication skills as
well as leadership and supporting structure are significantly correlated with
Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. In addition, the Interprofessional
Collaborative Practice is correlated with the quality of healthcare. The study
recommends the primary healthcare centers to implement Interprofessional
Collaborative Practice in the post-natal care.


The paper summarized common quality problems in bridges prestressed concrete construction,analyzed the cause and the corresponding measures,and pointed out several problems should pay attention to and corresponding countermeasures in construction,so as to promote prestressed concrete technology applied in traffic construction.


Subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration is a promising technology to reduce the CO2 emission into the atmosphere. After injection into subsurface formation, the carbon dioxide plume can migrate several kilometres until it is fully trapped. Four major mechanisms play an important role in trapping which include structural trapping, residual trapping, dissolution trapping or mineralization. The accurate numerical simulation of the sequestration process is challenging owing to the complexity of buoyancy driven enhanced dissolution and convective propagation of the CO2 plume. To resolve these processes, one often needs an extremely fine computational grid which makes the CPU time prohibitive for modelling at reservoir scale. Several simplified models were proposed which include analytical models (Hesse, 2008; Gasda et al., 2012), vertical equilibrium models (Gasda et al., 2012; (Pruess a Nordbotten, 2011) and an algebraic multi-scale model (Hesse, 2008). Here we proposed and applied the multi-scale models with dissolution for modelling of CO2 sequestration on the large-scale. Several numerical experiments are considered using adjusted small-scale simulation of the plume dynamic in a sloped aquifer. The enhanced rate of dissolution captured in the small-scale models with geometrical properties was then applied to the simulation in the realistic aquifer. A sink term applied at the CO2-brine-interface is implemented in the ADGPRS program. This term numerically acts as the dissolution mass transfer that would otherwise occur in a compositional simulation at fine resolution. It is important to contemplate the slow reduction in dissolution rate after the fingers begin to interact with the bottom of the reservoir. After interaction becomes significant, a reduction in the local dissolution rate is considered. We compared our multi-scale approach with a high-fidelity compositional simulation at high resolution, similar to the results presented in (Elenius, Voskov a Tchelepi, 2015). The applicability of the proposed approach was validated on the numerical model of a realistic aquifer.


Shen F., Wu Q., Su A., Tang P., Shao X., Liu B. (2016): Detection of adulteration in freshly squeezed orange juice by electronic nose and infrared spectroscopy. Czech J. Food Sci., 34: 224–232. The use of electronic nose and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) as rapid tools for detection of orange juice adulteration has been preliminarily investigated and compared. Freshly squeezed orange juices were tentatively adulterated with 100% concentrated orange juices at levels ranging from 0% to 30% (v/v). Then the E-nose response signals and FTIR spectra collected from samples were subjected to multivariate analysis by principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). PCA indicated that authentic juices and adulterated ones could be approximately separated. For the classification of samples with different adulteration levels, the overall accuracy obtained by LDA in prediction was 91.7 and 87.5% for E-nose and ATR-FTIR, respectively. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) results verified that there existed an obvious holistic difference in flavour characteristics between fresh squeezed and concentrated juices. These results demonstrated that both E-nose and FTIR might be used as rapid screening techniques for the detection of this type of juice adulteration.


Congenital triangular alopecia (CTA) is a rare disorder with incidence of 0.11% in dermatological examinations. It presents as triangular, mostly unilateral, noncicatricial type of alopecia on the temporal region of the scalp. It is usually under reported due to its asymp-tomatic and nonprogressive nature. Diagnosis is clinical, aided by a classification proposed by some Authors and dermoscopy. It should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of nonscarring alopecia mainly alopecia areata (AA), with which it is often confused. This prevents unnecessary use of topical/intralesional corticosteroids, main treatment for AA. Two cases of CTA in 1 ½ and 2 year old girls are reported to highlight this rare entity.


Owing to the flexible explanations of the international law concerning a nation's independence,the major countries have different stands towards the Kosovo's unilateral declarations of independence.The international law cannot stop Kosovo from being a real independent country In fact,it depends on the game played by major countries in accordance with their own interests.


EWAS is an early warning prototype that collects and analyzes news items from the European Media Monitor. Although, it currently processes news articles, it can easily be adapted to any other form of text. Data mining functions performed by the system are categorization, clustering, and named entity extraction. The main design concern of the system is scalability, which is achieved by a modular architecture that allows multiple instances of the same component to run in parallel. The main objective behind this research is to develop a system to identify "who is doing what" to estimate "who can do what" in order to predict "what can really happen tomorrow".


We provide a discussion about the necessity to fix the reference frame before quantizing the gravitational field. Our presentation is based on stressing how the 3+1-slicing of the space time becomes an ambiguous procedure as referred to a quantum 4-metric.


SUBTITLE: IN THE SECOND PART OF HIS PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TO THE RAILWAY STUDY ASSOCIATION, GIBB RAIL DIRECTOR CHRIS GREEN OUTLINES WHAT BRITAIN CAN TEACH THE WORLD.


To study the releasing properties and tissue‐targeting characteristics of methotrexate‐loaded red blood cells (MTX‐RBCs), pharmacokinetics and tissue distributions of intravenous injected MTX‐RBCs and free MTX were compared. MTX‐RBCs were made from rat erythrocytes using a hypertonic method. After i.v. injection of MTX‐RBCs or free MTX to rats, both plasma and tissue homogenate samples at each time‐point were collected and analyzed by RP‐HPLC. From this data, pharmacokinetic parameters and tissue distributions of MTX were obtained. MTX‐RBCs were successfully produced by the hypertonic method. After i.v. injection, MTX‐RBCs displayed more than three times longer half‐life and MRT than free MTX, and the velocity of MTX clearance from plasma was much slower. The ratio of area under the concentration time curve (AUC)tissue to AUCplasma in the liver was clearly higher than that for other organs after MTX‐RBCs administration; MRT in the liver was also longer. This study has demonstrated that the hypertonic method for making MTX‐RBCs has led to a preparation with slow release properties as well as liver‐targeting characteristics in rats. This approach offers considerable potential for the treatment of tumors in liver, which would merit further investigation.


Empirical growth benchmarks, as introduced by Hill, Bloom, Black, and Lipsey (2008), are a well-known way to contextualize effect sizes in education research. Past work on these benchmarks, both positive and negative, has largely avoided confronting the role of vertical scales, yet technical issues with vertical scales trouble the use of such benchmarks. This article introduces vertical scales and outlines their role in the creation of empirical benchmarks for growth. I then outline three strands of recent vertical scale research that call into question the grounds for relying on these benchmarks. I conclude with recommendations for researchers looking to contextualize observed effects of educational interventions without confounding their effects with vertical scaling artifacts.


Thank you very much for downloading picasso art can only be erotic. As you may know, people have search hundreds times for their favorite novels like this picasso art can only be erotic, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some harmful bugs inside their computer. picasso art can only be erotic is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our digital library spans in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the picasso art can only be erotic is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Byeong Moo Choe, M.D., is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Dong-A University College of Medicine, in Pusan, Republic of Korea. During the period of this research he was a Visiting Psychiatrist at The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Richard P. Kluft, M.D., is Director of the Dissociative Disorders Program at The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Temple University School of Medicine, both in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


We develop a general method to study ultrafast laser induced charge migration in molecules, which includes both electronic and nuclear dynamics. The method can be applied to relatively large systems. A detailed analysis of charge migration in pyrene is performed. Decoherences and recoherences of charge migration in pyrene are found and explained in terms of nuclear motions.


Sinonasal tract is complex anatomical site with a large list of possible diagnoses. Most common ones being sinonasal polyposis and papillomas. Occasionally there may be mass lesions that are difficult to conclude. This case report describes one such case where it was difficult to conclude. INTRODUCTION: The sinonasal tract is home to a dizzying array of reactive, benign neoplastic and malignant entities and differentiating these can be difficult owing to the limited nature of biopsies from this site that are encountered in E.N.T practice. Most of these consist of inflammatory polyps, papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas. Other diagnoses such as salivary type tumors, olfactory neuroblastomas and poorly differentiated carcinomas may occasionally be seen but are familiar to most E.N.T surgeons. The diagnosis becomes more complicated when a biopsy or polypectomy yields a low grade glandular proliferation. In such circumstances the diagnosis should include hamartomas1. CASE REPORT: A 29 year old female patient presented with long standing nasal obstruction. Anterior rhinoscopy showed a pinkish grape like mass which was insensitive to touch and did not bleed on touch. Diagnostic nasal endoscopy showed a pinkish mass in the left middle meatus which was arising from the maxillary sinus and was extending towards choana. It was suggestive of sinonasal polyposis. Patient underwent endoscopic polypectomy with middle meatal antrostomy and the tissue sent for histopathological examination was suggestive of sinonasal polyposis, but after one year patient presented with sudden onset of bleeding from left nasal cavity and nasal obstruction on the same side. On diagnostic nasal endoscopy a pink polypoidal mass, friable, bleeds on touch, covered with yellowish cheesy debris seen completely occupying the left nasal cavity. Computed tomography showed heterogenous opacity with calcified spicules occupying the left maxillary sinus and the osteomeatal complex extending to left nasal cavity. A provisional diagnosis of fungal rhinosinusitis was made. Patient underwent endoscopic debridement. Profuse haemorrhage was encountered during debridement. The lesion showed friable mass with yellowish, cheesy and foul smelling debris. Complete clearance of the mass from nasal cavity and maxillary sinus achieved. Histopathological examination showed well defined fibro-collagenous tissue capsule with areas of haemorrhage and large number of vascular spaces of varying size lined by endothelial cells. The lumen showed haemorrhage with fibrinoid necrosis at places. Features were suggestive of Vascular Hamartoma.


Transfer reactions of heavy ions with 248cm targets are evaluated for their usefulness in producing unknown neutron-rich actinide nuclides. Cross sections for the production of nuclides in the region 91 ~ Z ~ 100 were determined radiochemically from bombardments with 18 o, 86Kr and 136xe ions. The systematic trends in the cross sections for these reactions can be understood in terms of the Coulomb potential and the stabilizing effect of the reaction Q-values, which tend to favor the production of nuclei with Z > Ztarget with low ~xcitation energies. Extrapolation of the product yields into unknown regions of charge and mass indicates that the use of heavy-ion transfer reactions to produce new neutron-rich above-target species is limited.


Over the last decade, research has highlighted the importance of integrating the performance analysis in the software development process. Software Performance Engineering (SPE) has been recognized as the discipline that represents the entire collection of engineering activities, used throughout the software development cycle, and directed to meet performance requirements. Performance is in fact an essential quality attribute of every software system; it is a complex and a pervasive property difficu lt to understand. If performance targets are not met, a variety of negative consequences (such as damaged customer relations, business failures, lost income, etc.) can impact on a significant fraction of projects. Performance problems cause delays, failures on deployment, redesigns, even a new implementation of the system or abandonment of projects, which lead to significant costs. All these factors motivate the activities of modeling and analyzing the performance of software systems at the earlier phases of the lifecycle by reasoning on predictive quantitative. To provide an automated feedback to make the performance analysis results usable at the software architectural level. Results in order to avoid an expensive rework, possibly involving the overall software system. IndexTerms: S oftware Architecture, Performance Evaluation, SPE.


It is demonstrated that the recently introduced semantic intelligence spontaneously maintains bounded logical and quantal error on each and every semantic trajectory, unlike its algorithmic counterpart which is not able to. This result verifies the conclusion about the assignment of equal evolutionary value to the motion on the set of all the semantic trajectories sharing the same homeostatic pattern. The evolutionary value of permanent and spontaneous maintenance of boundedness of logical and quantal error on each and every semantic trajectory is to make available spontaneous maintenance of the notion of a kind intact in the long run.


ABSTRACT People become obese for various reason including loss of self control over consumption. Practice of yoga reinforces basic ability of self control over food consumption. In this regard, the paper analyses the health economic cost of weight loss treatments. It is observed that the health economic cost of treatment could be reduced for the savings in food consumption achieved. The paper also seeks to extend the same benefit to yoga practice as the practice reduces food consumption and slows down metabolism. Recognising yoga as clean practice and evaluating yoga service for reducing/optimizing food consumption may promote healthy practices and may lead to completeness in conserving all forms of energy consumption, i.e mechanical energy and food energy. Further research is required to measure the benefits of yoga for creation of appropriate incentive structure.


Removal of impurity elements in copper metallurgy is one of the major problems encountered today since pure copper ore reserves are becoming exhausted and the resources of unexploited ores often co ...


S aggregation by 44 per cent (p < 0.01). Halofenate was a more potent inhibitor of platelets than clofibrate (p < 0.01). The mean threshold concentration of epinephrine necessary for aggregation of normal platelets (4.2 jiM) was not significantly increased with clofibrate (10 //M) but was markedly elevated with halofenate (245 fiM; p < 0.001). Significant but less dramatic increases in threshold concentration of ADP and collagen were found with halofenate but not clofibrate. Cholesterol-rich platelets were 114-fold more sensitive to epinephrine and twofold more sensitive to ADP than normal platelets but after incubation with halofenate became even less sensitive than normal. Clofibrate inhibited the extent of aggregation of hypersensitive platelets but did not alter the threshold concentration of epinephrine necessary for aggregation. Thus, halofenate is more potent than clofibrate in reducing the sensitivity of normal platelets to aggregating agents in vitro and can completely reverse ex-perimentally produced platelet hypersensitivity. These data suggest that halofenate might be useful in reversing increased platelet sensitivity in cardiovascular diseases. Studies during seizures all showed marked flow increases in areas presumed to participate in the seizure activity. This finding accords with earlier studies. All nine patients studied in the interictal phase showed, either spontaneously or during activation by intermittent light, focal flow increases in areas presumed to comprise the epileptic focus. These interictal hyperemic foci probably reflect subictal neuronal hyperactivity in epileptogenic nervous tissue. Only two of the patients had distinct epileptic electroencephalographic foci. It appears that rCBF studies can be a valuable diagnostic tool in the investigation of cortical epileptogenic lesions. attempt to study the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) pattern during The was measured in 18 who had no major neurological The clearance from of 133 1S3 was measured with a 254-channel dynamic camera. During stereognostic discrimination with hand, mouth, or foot, the rCBF increased focally in the correspond-ing contralateral sensory-motor region and increased focally in the premotor part of the frontal lobe. The increase in the sensory region was attributed to the work of neurons extrac-ting spatial features from the input, while the increase in the motor region was ascribed to the formulation of motor strategies and motor commands. The physiological significance of the increase in the frontal region was unclear; tentatively, suggested reflect the intention, selective decision of the subject. On the other hand, in NTR, there were minimal changes in cerebral lactate and L/P ratio following carotid occlusion. These results suggest that bilateral carotid occlusion might cause severe ischemic damages of the brain in SHR, but not in NTR. The hemodynamic factor as a cause of cerebral ischemia in hypertensives is discussed. per five per cent of the pressure ranks. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that this racial difference was significant when measured by an automatic recorder. Body size, expressed by height and by weight/height 3 index, was a strong determinant of blood pressure level. Other positive determinants were blood hemoglobin and external matura-tion. of Acutely Induced Hypertension in Cats on Pial Arteriolar Caliber, Local Cerebral the Acute hypertension was induced in 19 anesthetized cats by the intravenous administration of angiotensin. The caliber of pial arteries was measured by a television image-splitting technique and local cerebral blood flow by the hydrogen clearance technique. As the blood pressure was increased, pial arterioles constricted and cerebral blood flow remained relatively constant, showing that autoregulation of cerebral blood flow was intact. At mean arterial pressures of more than 170 mm Hg arteriolar dilation appeared. In smaller arterioles (initial diameter less than 100 ^m) a segmental dilation (the "sausage-string" phenomenon) frequently preceded uniform dilation. This arteriolar dilation was associated with a marked increase in local cerebral blood flow indicating that the upper level of autoregulation had been breached. In no cat was vasospasm or a decrease in blood flow observed during induced hypertension. Hypertension also caused dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier observations examined by fluorescence microscopy the rabbit basilar artery contains a rich adrenergic-like plexus at the adventitiomedial junction. The fluorescence disappears upon chronic reserpinization and bilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy. Transmural stimulation of intramural nerves results in a response which is predominantly constrictor but also contains a small, inconstant dilator component. The constrictor response is abolished by chronic reserpinization, bilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy, and cold storage of the preparation. The constriction is prevented by the adrenergic neuron blocking agents guanethidine and but not by such a-adrenergic receptor blocking agents as phenoxybenzamine (PBZ), phentolamine, and tolazoline. Our results show that doses of the three agents sufficient to abolish contractions to norepinephrine (NE) in concentrations of up to 10~ 2 M only potentiate and prolong the contractile response to nerve stimulation. The /?-adrenergic receptor blocking agent, propranolol, and in-hibitors of NE neuronal uptake, such as desipramine (desmethylimipramine, DMI) and cocaine, do not influence the size of the neurogenic response. These results suggest that the vasoconstrictor component of the rabbit basilar artery response to transmural nerve stimulation (TNS) is mediated via sympathetic adrenergic-like neurons, but at the same time also raise the question whether the transmission process is typical of classic adrenergic neuroeffector mechanisms. through the body stopped. This was reduced or abolished by dopamine in ventilated with either room air (15 strands) or a gas mixture of 95% O 2 and 5% CO 2 (53 strands). These results suggest that dopamine exerts its inhibitory effect a direct action on the chemoreceptors rather than by a vaso-motor effect in the carotid body. (STA-MCA) This paper reports a retrospective study of the microneurosurgical management of intracranial aneurysm in 133 patients. Good or fair results were obtained in 76%, 12% of patients had a poor result and the mortality was 12%. Major factors which were found to influence the outcome of surgery were: pre-operatively, the Botterell grade of the patient, pre-existing systemic hypertension and the time interval between the last subarachnoid haemorrhage and surgery. Post-operatively, the development of cerebral vasospasm was associated with a poor outcome from surgery. Better results might be obtained from the surgery of intracranial aneurysm by delaying operation to the second week after subarachnoid haemorrhage and by better management of hypertensive patients pre-operatively and patients who develop cerebral vasospasm post-operatively. chronic subdural may present in a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan with the same density as normal brain tissue. The presence of a lesion may be suggested only by its mass effect. The lack of contrast or edema may help to differentiate a chronic subdural hematoma from a neoplasm or a cerebrovascular accident. ABSTRACTS of the intracavernous portion of the carotid artery were the meningohypophyseal artery, present in 100% of the specimens, the artery of the inferior cavernous sinus (84%), and McConnell's capsular arteries (28%). In addition, the ophthalmic and dorsal meningeal arteries arose from the carotid artery within the cavernous sinus in 8% and 6%, respectively. The three main branches of the meningohypophyseal trunk were the tentorial artery, present in 100%, the dorsal meningeal (90%), and the inferior hypophyseal (80%). 2) The carotid artery was separated from the trigeminal nerve just proximal to the sinus by only dura in 84% of the specimens, and the artery was exposed in the floor of the middle fossa lateral to the trigeminal nerve in 38%. 3) The intracavernous portion of the carotid artery indented the lateral side of the pituitary gland in 28% of dissections but could be as far as 7 mm from it. 4) A triangular area, described by Parkinson, through which the intracavernous portion of the carotid artery could be exposed surgically was found in all specimens. 5) The sixth cranial nerve may split into as many as five rootlets as it passes lateral to the intracavernous portion of the carotid artery. 6) The three major venous spaces within the sinus were posterosuperior, antero-inferior, and medial to the intracavernous portion of the carotid artery. Complete cerebral ischaemias of 1 to 30 min duration were performed under normothermic conditions in completely isolated canine heads perfused from a donor dog. The electrocorticogram was found to return in the reperfusion period following these complete ischaemias. The latency of recovery, i.e. the interval between the end of the complete cerebral ischaemia and the reappearance of the first cortical potentials, increased with increasing duration of the complete cerebral ischaemia; thus, the latency of recovery after a complete ischaemia of 30 min amounted to 11 to 12 hours. The change in blood-viscosity at low shear-rates (0.77 s~' and 2.62 s" 1 was measured in eighteen normal subjects and postoperatively in sixteen patients after administration of 5000 I.U. of subcutaneous heparin. In both groups there was a significant decrease in the mean blood-viscosity 4 to 6 hours after the injection of the heparin. This fall in blood-viscosity may be involved in the prophylactic effect of low-dose subcutaneous heparin in preventing venous thrombosis. Atherosclerotic lesions induced in primates some human lesions also regress is strongly by several types of The general course human is progressive, and t


Mathematical Argumentation skills have historically been overlooked in assessment, but the inclusion of Mathematical Argumentation in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as one of the Standards of Mathematical Practice challenges assessment developers to assess this mathematical practice. Explanation and justification of one's own thinking to a specific audience is considered a fundamental part of this mathematical practice. Based on student demonstration of argumentation skills when engaging with peers, we have developed automated conversations with virtual teachers and peers to investigate how alternative conversational patterns influence types of student responses. This technology allows assessment developers an innovative avenue for exploring new task designs that adapt to individual users and produce additional data not found in traditional measures. Preliminary findings from this investigation are presented.


The aggregate capacity of wireless mesh networks can be increased by the use of multiple channels. In this paper, we present the joint channel assignment implementation for Multiinterface and Multi-channel wireless network. To reap the full performance potential of this architecture, we propose and evaluate a combination of centralized and dynamic peer oriented distribution channel assignment, and enhanced AODV routing algorithms for Real Time multi-channel wireless mesh networks. Simulation results show that with joint channel assignment, equipping every wireless mesh network node with different interfaces operating on different channels can improve the total network performance and make the most of traffics by finding more routes with enhanced AODV.


EVENTS leading up to the breakdown of homografts of skin are clouded by a lack of observable phenomena early in the period of survival. The emphasis in past studies of the primary response has been on the establishment of the graft, at one extreme, and on the time of the graft breakdown, as judged by several observed events 1, 13 ( see recent review by Brent 5 ) at the other. Between these two are several days during which the graft looks and behaves in a fashion similar to that of an autograft. Medawar noted that during this time, the survival of the tissue, the establishment of vascular communications with the host, and even the proliferation of cells in the graft are essentially the same in all "firstset" grafts, regardless of their homologous or autologous origin. In skin grafts between inbred strains of mice it is only on the sixth to eighth day,' and often even later, that in the homograft can be seen the earliest changes presaging its eventual destruction. That much has gone on in the host, and possibly also in the graft, prior to this time is obvious. It is toward a better understanding of the events that transpire in this "latent" period that the present experiments were directed. A study was made of the effects on skin grafts of various degrees of pre-existing im-


A method for positive polynomial validation based on polynomial decomposition is proposed to deal with control synthesis problems. Detailed algorithms for decomposition are given which mainly consider how to convert coefficients of a polynomial to a matrix with free variables. Then, the positivity of a polynomial is checked by the decomposed matrix with semidefinite programming solvers. A nonlinear control law is presented for single input polynomial systems based on the Lyapunov stability theorem. The control synthesis method is advanced to multi-input systems further. An application in attitude control is finally presented. The proposed control law achieves effective performance as illustrated by the numerical example.


Introducing a new hobby for other people may inspire them to join with you. Reading, as one of mutual hobby, is considered as the very easy hobby to do. But, many people are not interested in this hobby. Why? Boring is the reason of why. However, this feel actually can deal with the book and time of you reading. Yeah, one that we will refer to break the boredom in reading is choosing computational linguistics computational linguistics as the reading material.


In this paper we study about the M−projectively flat perfect fluid spacetime. First of all we showed that the Riemannian curvature tensor of an M−projectively flat spacetime is covariantly constant. Then we found the length of the Ricci operator in an M−projectively flat perfect fluid spacetime and proved that the isotropic pressure and entry density of an M−projectively flat perfect fluid spacetime satisfying Einsteins field equation with cosmological constant are constant. Then we showed that an M−projectively flat perfect fluid spacetime satisfying Einsteins field equation with cosmological constant and obeying the timelike convergence condition has positive isotropic pressure. Further we showed that the isotropic pressure and the energy density of an M−projectively flat perfect fluid spacetime satisfying Einsteins field equation with cosmological constant vanishes in a purely electromagnetic distribution. Lastly we showed that an M−projectively flat perfect fluid spacetime with the energy momentum tensor of an electromagnetic field such that the spacetimesatisfies Einsteins field equation without cosmological constant is a Euclidean space


Maki Ueyema and her husband arrived in Toronto from India in September 2010. Upon arrival, they were informed that Maki had to wait three months before she was entitled to health coverage under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, despite being three months' pregnant. At five months, she went into


Cluster promotion programme was implemented in Bandipora district of Jammu & Kashmir from 201112. This programme was launched to have a mass impact of sericultural technologies so as to improve the socioeconomic conditions of farmers and to strengthen the long production chain of sericulture through improvement in cocoon production, productivity, quality. A cluster of villages and families located within the radius of 18 km from Research Extension Centre sub unit Bandipora were selected to facilitate closer monitoring and interaction of scientist as well as field functionaries with the farmers for obtaining remarkable results. Initially 150 farmers in 32 villages were identified for the programme and later on new farmers were added every year. Both the scientific as well as technical staff of Research Extension Centre sub unit, Bandipora with close coordination of field officers/staff of Department of Sericulture monitored the activities of the cluster. Technological interventions like distribution of chawki reared silkworms, rearing of high yielding silkworm double hybrids, pre and post crop disinfection of rearing houses and appliances were part of the programme. To facilitate transfer and adoption of technologies trainings, extension communication programmes and study tours were organized for the farmers. The results of these interventions were that the average cocoon production increased from 35.00kg/100dfls set as benchmark at the initiation of programme (2011-12) to 53.10 kg/100dfls (2015-16) and defective cocoon percentage decreased from 25.10 percent (2011-12) to 12.50 percent (2015-16). From the results it is clear, that technological interventions, monitoring, coordination along with the communication, transfer and adoption of technologies played an important role in the success of cluster promotion programme. Further to boost the bivoltine silk production of the country in a sustained manner, new clusters be opened in traditional and nontraditional areas for horizontal and vertical expansion of Silk industry.


What's wrong with baseball? It depends who you ask. According to the owners of small-market teams, there's not enough revenue sharing. If you ask the fans of these teams, they will tell you there is a lack of competitiveness in the league. Lifelong Cub fans will tell you it's mismanagement in the front office. And players will argue that there is nothing wrong with baseball. (How could there be? The average salary is over $2 million.) Two recent books--one, Fair Ball, by well-known sportscaster Bob Costas; the other, Stadium Games, by Jay Weiner, a reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune--give their individual views of what's wrong with baseball and what can be done to fix it. (1) Costas argues passionately from a fan's perspective and plays right into the hands of owners of small-market teams and their chief sympathizer, Commissioner Bud Selig (coincidentally, the former owner of a small-market team) when he argues for substantial revenue sharing among owners and submission to a salary cap for players. Weiner focuses on the ills of the stadium game and puts forth a plan to end the current method of municipal charity to corporate billionaires. Both books are interesting in part, off the mark in part, and entertaining overall. The Costas tome is an easier read than Weiner's book, which is an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the history of professional sports stadiums in the Minneapolis--St. Paul area. Weighing in at 500 pages, Weiner's book does a thorough job of covering his topic. Costas, on the other hand, has written a much lighter, less substantial book. Weiner's book bogs down at times with its focus on detail, and it can be difficult to keep track of the scores of people he introduces. The reader is rewarded for the effort, however, because Weiner provides a rare insight into the machinations of the stadium game. While Costas will bowl over no one with his logic, scholarship, or intellect, his book is reader friendly, entertaining, and sure to pique the ire of many fans. Costas lays into both management and players, exposing their greed, which he cites as the root of baseball's current problem. The problem with both books is that they fail to fully understand the economics of professional sports. Costas is especially guilty of this. He fails to offer a shred of evidence to back up his claims concerning baseball's problems. He merely echoes the prevailing popular opinion (espoused first and foremost by the owners) that the bifurcation of baseball into large- and small-market teams is ruining the game. Nevertheless, he is ready to offer a fairly complicated, convoluted, and somewhat ad hoc solution to these problems. In the end, the greatest weakness of his argument is also its strength: he speaks from the soul, as a true baseball fan. All he wants is a return to the "good old days," when baseball was played on the field and business was done in the background. He is not so naive as to believe that baseball was ever anything more than a business, but he does prefer the bliss of ignorance. And he has a point. Most baseball fans are much more interested in the compelling game played on the field than in the confusing game played in the front office. Pitching duels, circus catches, and dramatic home runs are much more interesting than contract clauses, free agent defections, and cable television deals. For this reason, Costas's book should get a lot of play and have appeal to a wide audience. Weiner's book, on the other hand, is better written and well documented and researched, but it will be less appealing to the average baseball fan because it focuses little on the game on the field. Instead, it is a textbook study of how the stadium game is played. It is revealing, educational and, understandably, a bit dry. Both men propose solutions to the problems they discuss. While the solutions that Costas proposes would affect all teams and their fans, Weiner's solutions would primarily impact those few towns that are on the professional sports population fringe and are serious threats to lose a team if they do not build a new, publicly funded, state-of-the-art, revenue-gathering stadium to enrich their tenants. …


Herein describes a non-coherent light emitting device, a light emitting structure including at least one organic or organic charge transport layer and providing a light-emitting layer associated with the Bragg grating. The processed organic light emitting layer includes a liquid crystal material to provide a plurality of alternating regions of liquid crystal and isotropic material. In combination with alternating regions aligned dichroic effect region produces a pseudo 2-D Bragg grating in the light emitting layer.


Vehicle crash compatibility is of major interest in road safety research as it focuses on both vehicle crashworthiness and aggressivity offering optimal protection to vehicle occupants. The aim of this research was to assess compatibility of passenger cars in two-vehicle collisions for different impact directions (frontal and side impacts). Vehicles used in this analysis were grouped in four categories, namely light, small, medium and large, in order to provide information on crash compatibility between passenger cars of various masses. Vehicle compatibility was estimated based on a logistic regression analysis method. It was the first attempt to apply the logistic regression technique for frontal and side impacts only. Research focused on non-fatal casualty crashes (all fatal cases were excluded from analysis). (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E202275.